Neotoma cinerea
Bushy-tailed Woodrat
(Neotoma cinerea) | |
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Range | |
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Taxonomic classification | |
Order: | Rodentia |
Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
Infraorder: | Myomorphi |
Superfamily: | Muroidea |
Family: | Cricetidae |
Subfamily: | Neotominae |
Tribe: | Neotomini |
Genus: | Neotoma |
Subgenus: | Teonoma |
Binomial details | |
Neotoma cinerea (Ord, 1815) |
Description
From Hoffmeister (1986): A species of Neotoma in which the tail is bushy, the hind feet long (37 mm or more in adult males, 36 mm or more in adult females), soles of hind feet furred from heel to toes, throat usually with hairs white all the way to the base, underparts not washed with brown or ochraceous."
From Armstrong et al. (2010): "The bushy-tailed woodrat is a large woodrat with a bushy tail (especially pronounced in mature males). The ears are larger than those of other woodrats in Colorado. Although variable, color is typically ochraceous buff to gray often washed with black. The sides are buffy. The venter is white, with the hairs gray at their bases. White hairs of the chest and throat are usually white to their bases. The tail is dark gray above and whitish below. The feet are white. The soles of the hindfeet are fully furred from the proximal tubercle to the heel."
From Smith (1997): "The common name "bushytailed woodrat" is derived from the long heavily-furred tail, which is generally sharply bicolored with white below and sooty hairs above. Hairs on the tail are ca. 30 mm in length (Dixon, 1919). Dorsally, coat color varies from a pale gray lightly washed with buff to a dark brownish-black or tawny shade; the underparts may vary from white to pinkish or buff (Allen, 1895; Dixon, 1919; Finley, 1958; Goldman, 1910, 1917; Hoffmeister, 1986; Hooper, 1940; Howell, 1926). S Substantial geographic variation is found in pelage color, however, with cooler and more humid climates associated with darker coloration, and paler pelages associated with lower, semiarid habitats (Finley, 1958; Goldman, 1910; Hooper, 1940). In several subspecies of bushy-tailed woodrat the hair is entirely white along the midventral line (Hall, 1981; Howell, 1926), and many populations are white-throated (Hoffmeister, 1986)."
External measurements
Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.
Part of range | Reference | Total length | Tail length | Hindfoot length | Ear length | Mass |
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Arizona (Kearns Canyon to near Woodruff) | Hoffmeister (1986) | males: 326–398 (n=8); females: 302–345 (n=9) | males: 130–168 (n=8); females: 127–165 (n=9) | males: 38–42 (n=8); female; 34–42 (n=9) | ||
Arizona (N rim Grand Canyon) | Hoffmeister (1986) | males: 363–385 (n=3); females: 366–410 (n=5) | males: 145–162 (n=3); females: 162–181 (n=5) | males: 40–45 (n=3); females: 39–44 (n=5) | females: 32–34 (n=5) | |
California | Jameson & Peeters (2004) | 335–425 | 140–185 | 38–44 | 31–33 | 220–435 |
Colorado | Armstrong et al. (2010) | 340–420 | 142–176 | 40–46 | 30–33 | 270–290 |
Nebraska | Johnsgard (2020) | 350–470 | 135–223 | 240–290 | ||
North Dakota | Seabloom et al. (2020) | 316 (n=11) | 133 (n=11) | 42 (n=11) | 34 (n=11) | males: 419 (379–456); females: 302 (234–359) |
Skull
From Armstrong et al. (2010): "The skull has a narrow, channeled interorbital region. The temporal ridges are separated by a narrow interparietal usually not much wider than long. The nasal septum has a maxillo-vomerine notch and the anterior palantine spine is slender and pointed."
Habitat
From Smith (1997): "Bushy-tailed woodrats are almost obligatorily saxicolous. They typically inhabit boulder outcrops, vertical crevices, clefts or caves in cliffs, or talus slopes (Brown, 1968; Dixon, 1919; Findley et al., 1975; Finley, 1958; Goldman, 1910; Grayson and Livingston, 1989; Hoffmeister, 1986; Moses and Millar, 1992) and are excellent climbers (Finley, 1990; Goldman, 1910). Topography and shelter are important determinants of the suitability of habitat for bushy-tailed woodrats, and the number of den sites may limit population density (Escherich, 1981; Finley, 1958; Hickling, 1987; Moses and Millar, 1992). Although ostensibly found over a wide geographic range, the distribution of N. cinerea is actually relatively patchy because favored den sites are numerous only in rugged mountainous or canyon country (Finley, 1958). Bushy-tailed woodrats also frequently inhabit isolated man-made structures such as mine tunnels, cabins or accessible buildings, and even pueblo cliff dwellings (Brown, 1968; Findley et al., 1975; Finley, 1958; Grayson and Livingston, 1989; Hoffmeister, 1986). Although only abandoned human structures normally are inhabited, this is not always the case."
References
Allen JA. 1895. Descriptions of new North American mammals. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 7:327-340.
Armstrong DM, Fitzgerald JP, Meaney CA. 2010. Mammals of Colorado, Second Edition. Denver (CO, USA): University Press of Colorado.
Brown JH. 1968. Adaptation to environmental temperature in two species of woodrats, Neotoma cinerea and N. albigula. Miscellaneous Publications of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 135: 1-48.
Dixon J. 1919. Notes on the natural history of the bushy-tailed wood rats of California. University of California Publications in Zoology 21:49-74.
Findley JS, Harris AH, Wilson DE, Jones C. 1975. Mammals of New Mexico. Albuquerque (NM, USA): University of New Mexico Press, 360 pp.
Finley RB Jr. 1958. The wood rats of Colorado. University of Kansas Publication, Museum of Natural History 10:213-552.
Goldman EA. 1910. Revision of the wood rats of the genus Neotoma. North America Fauna 31:1-124.
Grayson DK, Livingston SD. 1989. High-elevational records for Neotoma cinerea in the White Mountains, California. Great Basin Naturalist 49:392-395.
Hall ER. 1981. The mammals of North America. New York (NY, USA): John Wiley & Sons 2:601-1181 + 90.
Hoffmeister DF. 1986. Mammals of Arizona. Tucson (AZ, USA): University of Arizona Press.
Hooper ET. 1940. Geographical variation in bushy-tailed wood rats. University of California Publications in Zoology 42:407-424.
Howell AB. 1926. Anatomy of the wood rat. Monographs of the American Society of Mammalogists 1:1-225.
Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.
Johnsgard PA. 2020. Wildlife of Nebraska: a natural history. Lincoln (NE, USA): University of Nebraska Press.
Seabloom R, Hoganson JW, Jensen WF. 2020. The mammals of North Dakota. Fargo (ND, USA): North Dakota State University Press.
Smith FA. 1997. Neotoma cinerea. Mammalian Species (564):1-8.